I have completely changed my opinion of whale and dolphin farming/hunting....

I saw the Cove and it didn't change my mind. I just looked at it as a cultural difference and as long as the meat is safe and not poisoned then they should continue to do what they do unless the species is at risk of extinction. But the other day I saw a documentary on PBS. 3 of them actually talking about mostly whales and dolphins.

So what ultimately changed my mind was the point when I realized that these are animals that could be the next evolutionary step towards other intelligent species. And my intelligent I mean like human intelligence. I figure it's possible that evolution is turning these animals into people of the sea. The documentary talked a lot about self-awareness. The interaction that they have with each other and with humans is unlike any other animal on earth. Dolphins have even been found to be genuinely concerned with their appearance in the mirror. Suggesting that they have self awareness, egos, self consciousness, etc. They share a very similar sense of empathy and compassion to humans. I imagine moreso with us because they can sense that we too are self aware. If we came across a whole race of cro-magnon man or neandertal I wouldn't be okay with us farming them or hunting them for food. And because I feel dolphins and whales are at least as advanced intellectually as early humans I have decided to oppose any and all killing of them.

I'm still okay with humane captivity like Sea World and other aquariums.

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect.”

RE: I have completely changed my opinion of whale and dolphin farming/hunting....

"For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much - the wheel, New York, wars and so on - whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man - for precisely the same reasons."

and
"Curiously enough, the dolphins had long known of the impending destruction of the planet Earth and had made many attempts to alert mankind of the danger; but most of their communications were misinterpreted as amusing attempts to punch footballs or whistle for tidbits, so they eventually gave up and left the Earth by their own means shortly before the Vogons arrived."

finally
"So long, and thanks for all the fish."

-The late great Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy.

"I think of myself as an intelligent, sensitive human being with the soul of a clown which always forces me to blow it at the most important moments." -Jim Morrison